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    El Buen Cafe

    3.5 (59 reviews)
    Closed 6:00 am - 10:00 pm

    El Buen Cafe Photos

    EL BUEN CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Touristy
    Trendy
    Moderate noise

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    Recommended Reviews - El Buen Cafe

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    Nadiezhda M.

    The service was excellent and the staff are very helpful with the menu. The atmosphere is very nice! You able to enjoy some quesitos and coffee with the family. They do have a whole menu with a variety. If you go to the town of Hatillo make sure to stop here...

    Chicken with yellow rice. Pork stew with potatoes
    Sammie G.

    Glad we stopped at this place. Instead of food from the menu, we chose to order from warming station with variety of Puerto Rican home style dish. We got some kind of stew beef, chicken and pork. Great wholesome meal before heading to our destinations. The staff were helpful and eager to explain the dishes.

    Sinthia S.

    This spot is a MUST if you're making your way from San Juan or Arecibo to Rincón or Cabo Rojo. The service was great and prompt, which is something that most restaurants in PR cannot brag about. Antonio was a very attentive waiter and was nice enough to explain several items in the menu being that were from NY and know very basic Puerto Rican food items. There is very fresh fish daily, right at the front there's a daily catch list and they prepare the fish to your liking with choice of sauce. Rice and beans "mamposteado" really delicious side. We had the passion fruit and strawberry mojitos since they were out of fresh kiwi. My favorite was the passion fruit!

    Inside
    Judy S.

    We picked the restaurant because we where in the middle of nowhere and really hungry. The name helped too. My rating was mostly based on the service and some on the food. As we walked in I saw cookies. I was so happy. I haven't had a cookie in a week and so I bought some to eat . I was in the mood for something sweet. Those where the hardest cookies I ever had. I/we had a hard time breaking a Piece off with my hand. We where starving so still ate the thing. It did not have much flavor. So I asked the waitress why where the cookies so hard. She said that they are a traditional hard cookie of the country. I learned something new today. I ordered Mofongo stuffed with ropa bieja. It was OK. It looked like a little plantain bowl with meat in the center. It came with a little salad. The mofongo portions was big. They brought our order one at a time. As in maybe 5 to 7 minutes later from the last. We where five so by the time the last person got served the first person finished. The restaurant had a pastries. They looked all good. But I was scared to try after the cookies I had lol.

    Pulpo (octopus) salad with mofongo.
    Millie R.

    Such a amazing experience here. The customer service was excellent! I had the pulpo salad and have to say that it was AMAZING!!! Almost as good as my moms! This a place I would love to visit again and share with friends!

    Service was not great. When I walked in there were several employees standing near the cash register chatting with each other. I tried interrupting to see about getting a table (place wasn't full, no customers ahead of me; employees were just standing there chatting with each other), but they ignored me. Another employee came over from the dining area and asked if I needed a table. I finally got a table, and the waitress was pleasant (unlike the three male employees who ignored me when I came in). Food was pricey. I got the grilled chicken with yellow rice and tostones. My wife got an onioned stake with mofongo. It was saltier than we'd like, and there was way too much garlic in the mofongo, almost to the point of making it unpalatable. Overall, the high prices didn't justify the food or experience. You can get the same food from any of the dozens of nearby restaurants and food trucks for half the price.

    Exterior
    Sarah A.

    Convenient location right off the highway. We were excited to find that not only were they open on Christmas Day, but they had delicious pasteles available! We enjoyed some pasteles and coffees, all of which were excellent. Service was quick and friendly. The bathrooms were very clean as was the overall establishment. Some beautiful colors and décor! Parking was easy in the lot right out front. Great pit stop!

    Jose H.

    My sea bass was well cocked and properly seasoned. Rice with red beans were typical, not phenomenal. Dinning area needs some remodeling but for a cafeteria look was acceptable. We got at 2pm and the options were already limited. Thus, get early and there would be more options. Service was a bit disorganized.

    Restaurant El Buen Café
    Evan G.

    Restaurant El Buen Café in Hatillo is a great place to go for delicious food that is well prepared. I really like their sandwiches, seafood, and Mofongo. Everything is flavorful and tastes really good. The staff here is very kind and accommodating. Good place to stop for a quality meal.

    Biftec encebollado
    Andres A.

    This restaurant is conveniently right off the highway. As you come in you may think you are in a cafeteria but trust me the food is good. You have the option of dining from food they have already prepared for the day or you can order off their menu if you prefer to eat something different. Since we made it in after most of their daily options were finished we had to order from the menu. I had the biftec encebollado (steak & onions) with white rice and my girlfriend had the Mofongo with chicharrónes de pollo. We enjoyed our meal. The portions were plentiful and very flavorful. The staff was quick to take care of us and we were very pleased with our choice.

    Front signage
    Andres R.

    Conveniently located along PR-2 highway in our way to the western side of the island, we stopped for a light lunch. We all had a Christmas specialty food, namely masa pasteles filled with pork and veggies that are wrapped in banana leaves and poached. With freshly squeezed orange juice and delicious cafe con leche. They also honored a 10 % Yelp discount online voucher!

    N M.

    Truly a delicious treat on Friday night in Puerto Rico! Quesitos, pastelillos, & a cold Medalla in a bottle! Never could I find something so good in the states. This place has the cheesiest quesitos and coldest cervecera! I will always come back for more of these amazing sweet treats!

    Outside the restaurant

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    7 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    11 years ago

    Great food!!! The plates where huge for the price!! Fresh baked goods and great coffee! Service was great too

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    11 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    9 years ago

    Food was a bit on the salty side , service was slow took about 15 minutes to get the bill , overall it was good

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    11 years ago

    Delicious and inexpensive Puertorrican cuisine. Nothing fancy, but their food was very good.

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    10 years ago

    Good food, fair price. Prompt service. Had the Super Breakfast. 2 eggs, Bacon, Toast, Pancakes, and a coffee.

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    13 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    Page 2 of 2

    El Buen Cafe Reviews in Other Languages

    Review Highlights - El Buen Cafe

    Had scramble eggs and bacon and toast a lot for 5 bucks hearty food all fresh.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Sazón Mío - Conedor

    Sazón Mío

    3.8(6 reviews)
    2.7 km

    Nunca había sido tan ofendida en un restaurante como me paso en este negocio. Estoy en fila con…read moretres personas mas y faltándome el respeto colaron como 6 personas preferidas de ese local que estaban detras de nosotras. Cuando me toco mi turno le reclame al joven que porque me falto el respeto dejandome a un lado para atender a los que paso, el me indico que le habian ordenado del frente hacerlo. Cuando fui al frente a pedir hablar con el dueno la persona que le pregunte me dijo que era el, le deje saber que eso que paso no era aceptable, el caballero para mi sorpresa ni se disculpo. I have never been so offended in a restaurant as I was in this establishment. I am in line with three other people, and disrespectfully, they let six "preferred" customers cut the line. When my turn came, I complained to the young man about why he disrespected me by leaving me aside to attend to those who passed by. He told me that he had been ordered by the boss to do so. I asked to speak with the owner and I let him know that what happened was not acceptable, and to my surprise, the gentleman didn't even apologize.

    Sazón Mío in Hatillo is a great place to go for delicious and quick food that is well prepared. I…read morelike the flavors and taste of everything here. The staff here is very friendly and accommodating to make sure that you have everything that you need. Well worth the visit.

    Photos
    Sazón Mío - Lomo con salsa guayaba y arroz mamposteao

    Lomo con salsa guayaba y arroz mamposteao

    Sazón Mío - Sazón Mío

    Sazón Mío

    Sazón Mío - Sazón Mío

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    Sazón Mío

    Lechonera Puerto Rico - Roasted pork, Arroz con Gandules & Guineitos

    Lechonera Puerto Rico

    4.0(6 reviews)
    1.2 km

    Every item we tried -- from the lechón to the yucca and potato salad -- was overwhelmingly salty,…read moreto the point that it overpowered any other flavor. It genuinely felt as though salt had been used without restraint. The only dishes that were reasonably enjoyable were the amarillos and the arroz con gandules, which at least had some balance and authenticity. Unfortunately, dessert did not redeem the experience. The bread pudding also carried an unexpected salty taste and seemed as though it had been sitting out for quite some time. The beans were equally disappointing and lacked freshness or depth of flavor. Overall, the meal was deeply underwhelming, especially considering the expectations for traditional Puerto Rican cuisine. Regrettably, this is not a restaurant I would return to. Cada uno de los platos que probamos -- desde el lechón hasta la yuca y la ensalada de papa -- estaba excesivamente salado, al punto de opacar cualquier otro sabor. Honestamente, parecía que la sal se había usado sin ninguna moderación. Los únicos platos relativamente agradables fueron los amarillos y el arroz con gandules, que al menos tenían algo de balance y autenticidad. Lamentablemente, el postre no logró mejorar la experiencia. El budín de pan también tenía un sabor salado inesperado y parecía haber estado expuesto por bastante tiempo. Los habichuelas también fueron decepcionantes y carecían de frescura y sabor. En general, la comida fue sumamente decepcionante, especialmente considerando las expectativas de una cocina puertorriqueña tradicional. Desafortunadamente, es un restaurante al que no volvería ni recomendaria.

    If you're expecting fast food this is not for you but if you're expecting delicious food served at…read morea reasonable time you have to give them a try. The cuerito (pork skin) literally melts in your mouth. Everything well seasoned. Rice dishes: Arroz con gandules and arroz con longaniza cooked to perfection. Marinated green bananas were really good (this is one of my favorite side dishes and I'm picky about them lol). They serve generous portions. The woman at the window was super friendly and provided us with some of the best customer service (keep in mind there was a heat advisory and she was working without air conditioning). Will definitely go back when traveling through the area.

    Photos
    Lechonera Puerto Rico - Inside restaurant

    Inside restaurant

    Lechonera Puerto Rico - Array of different food- lechon, pastel, arroz gandules, yucca.

    Array of different food- lechon, pastel, arroz gandules, yucca.

    Lechonera Puerto Rico

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    El Buen Cafe - seafood - Updated June 2026

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